Channi, who smelt a plot before the Assembly elections slated early next year, also called it a ‘conspiracy’ by those trying to polarise the voters…reports Asian Lite News.
Union Home Ministry on Thursday sought report from the Punjab government over Ludhiana blast, the sources said.
According to sources, the top Home Ministry official has spoken to the Chief Secretary of the state and sought a report on the blast that occurred in Court premises in Ludhiana.
It is also learnt that the teams of National Investigation Agency and National Security Guards have been sent to Ludhiana to collect evidences while the blast incident is being investigated by the Punjab police.
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According to the preliminary report, the blast took place around 12.25 p.m. on the third floor of the court premises. The Court advocates are on strike, therefore less number of advocates were present when the blast took place. The intensity of the blast was so huge that it damaged nearby walls and shattered window glasses.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said one person was killed in the blast while the police earlier claimed two persons have died.
Recently, Punjab has witnessed incidents of sacrilege in Gurudwaras and the Ministry of the Home Affairs issued an advisory to the state government to take adequate measures to prevent these incidents just before the state assembly election due in next year.
CJI expresses shock
Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said here on Thursday that he is deeply shocked to hear about the news of explosion that rocked the Ludhiana District Court Complex in Punjab. The blast on Thursday left two persons dead, while at least four persons have been reported injured.
Expressing grave concern at the lack of adequate security in court complexes, Justice Ramana hoped that the law enforcing agencies will pay necessary attention to ensure protection for the court complexes and all the stake holders. Such incidents occurring in quick succession across the country is a worrisome trend, he observed.
‘Man carrying explosives killed’
A man, who is believed to be carrying explosives, was killed and five others were injured in a suspected IED blast in the district court complex in Ludhiana on Thursday, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said.
The state has been put on high alert after the blast. It is learnt that the Home Ministry has sought a report from the Punjab government on the incident.
Channi, who reached the spot to assess the situation along with Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa and other Cabinet colleagues, told the media that such incidents have seen a rise after the government tightened its noose against the drug traffickers.
Channi, who smelt a plot before the Assembly elections slated early next year, also called it a ‘conspiracy’ by those trying to polarise the voters.
The blast took place at around 12:22 pm in a washroom on the second floor of the court complex when the court was functioning. The court is located close to the district commissioner’s office.
Putting the state on alert after the incident, DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya said, “We cannot comment on anything. Only the experts can tell the kind of explosives used, but the district, state, and central forensic agencies are on it. Every crowded place is on alert, the public should also be careful.”
Condemning the incident, Channi said inimical forces seeking to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the state would never succeed in their nefarious designs.
“Everybody knows the timing and the handiwork of these forces as the Assembly polls are drawing near and they are hell-bent upon hatching such conspiracies to disturb the hard-earned peace and harmony in the state. It is the need of the hour to condemn such incidents in the harshest possible words by one and all.”
Ludiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar told the media that the explosion might have been executed by a human bomb.
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